A Person Not A Place

There are many places I’ve been where significant life events took place. One of my favorite places to visit is Washington D.C. to see the places the forefathers of our nation walked and met. In Philadelphia there is a place containing life-sized monuments of the writers of the Declaration of Independence. These places are significant because people were there doing important work. I would suggest that the work ended up being more significant with the passage of time than it seemed at the time that the history was being made.

I have been other places in my life that marked my journey with the Lord. I remember well the little country church I grew up in – Roley Christian Church in Casey Creek, Kentucky. I remember youth rallies at different churches. I remember specific places along my journey of life because of events that happened there that are still influencing my life today. I can still see my Dad leading the music and my grandparents sitting in the same spot each week. I can remember a few lessons in Bible School. I grew up going to church and meeting God there. I first learned of God in church and from my parents. As a youngster, I equated going to church with going to meet God. In the Old Testament, God was very much about a place. His Presence was in a cloud during the day and in a pillar of fire at night. King David wanted to build a place for the Lord to call home. Check this out….

³ “I will not go home;
    I will not let myself rest.
⁴ I will not let my eyes sleep
    nor close my eyelids in slumber
⁵ until I find a place to build a house for the Lord,
    a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” (Psalm 132:3-5 NLT)

Jesus came to earth and God no longer needed a temple to dwell in because He would now dwell in the heart of men and women He created. Upon Jesus’ death, the veil of the temple that separated the Holy Place from the people was torn in two and access directly to God was provided.  I don’t have to go somewhere to meet the Lord, I can connect with the Lord inside my home, in the woods, on a mountain top, while taking a walk, riding a bike – wherever I am, He is with me. He longs for me to listen to Him as He speaks into my life. He longs to lead me. He wants to shine through everything I say and everything I do. I do have a church that I belong to and I love the fellowship that I share with other believers. I see God there, not because He dwells there – He dwells in the hearts of His people there. I do learn more about the heart of God from the Word of God. He speaks into my heart when I seek Him in His Word. I believe that time in His Word sets up other meeting times of significance. His Word can illuminate my path and give direction and purpose to my steps.

I’m so thankful that the Lord dwells inside my heart. I’m so thankful to see His Obvious Presence in the hearts of His People. I still love the fellowship of other believers, but His Presence in me is less about them and more personally about my personal relationship with Him. The amount of room in my heart for God is on me. He wants to have influence in every area of my life, not just part of my life. He is with me wherever I go. My relationship with God is way more about Him dwelling in my heart than me going to a specific place to meet with Him.

Pressing On!

Dwayne